The Digest | New Jersey Magazine
Issue link: https://magazines.vuenj.com/i/1023248
"We're not trying to be avant-garde; we're trying to work with- in a certain philosophy," Baker explained to me over dinner. What makes for a great dining experience, we agree, is twofold. Impeccable service and high-quality cuisine are first to come to mind, but other, more modern-day elements to consider are things like design, layout, lighting and artwork. Baker, who was a sculpture major in college, viewed the whole project through an architectural lens. For the interior, he turned to Tree House Design, who worked to preserve the DNA of the original Summit House and infuse it with a mid-century mod- ern feel. "e whole design idea was to pretend that Summit House had been here forever but it's just been restored," Baker said. An American flag once owned by Baker's family is framed in the restaurant's bar area. It flew over their Connecticut farm- house in the late 1800s. e flag, Baker came to find out, was commissioned the very same year the building in which Sum- mit House currently resides was built. "I just thought that was amazing. So now we're a New American restaurant with an old American flag [laughs]." Baker and his team even went as far as to cra the wainscoting from 200-year-old barn wood in order to preserve the building's rustic integrity and give diners a sense of nostalgia. Summit House enlisted the help of local builder Orchard Hill, whose portfolio, up until this, consisted solely of residential real estate. "It started making sense to me," Baker said. "It's called Summit House and while it's a restaurant and people only spend a couple hours here at a time, we wanted to build it like a home." e front room opens up to the bustling bar area and fea- tures street-facing, triple-hung Victorian windows that open wide in nice weather, and an Edwardian-style coffered ceiling. In the back, under the assumption people want to gather and connect, there are two separate seating options: a private room enclosed by frosted glass french doors, and a formal dining area where guests can enjoy views of the open kitchen. Passersby can also get in on the action as they watch Summit House's chefs shuck Barnegat Bay oysters through their side window on Ma- ple Street. V U E N J . C O M 98